personal story

As lazy as I claim to be, I love being busy. I work and feel best with a structured schedule and like having my plans made in advance. So for me, this past year has been a difficult one. After changing career paths at the tail end of my college career, I knew my first … [Read more…]

“Relax!,” “You’re so tense,” “It’s not that big of a deal, let it go!” – sounds like a stressful situation, right? For someone with anxiety, these phrases get thrown at you on a daily basis, and they’re more embarrassing and painful than you’d ever imagine. Although I wasn’t formally diagnosed until adolescence, I have always, … [Read more…]

One of my earliest posts dealt with the issue of gossiping and the role that talking about others has in friendships. But there is another function of this that I did not address, and one that I think can be rather illuminating. Do you ever find yourself repeatedly complaining to and confiding in a friend … [Read more…]

At first, I almost found it flattering. The feminist in me cursed that thought and hid it from the world, knowing the correct response was to be filled with rage. But it lifted my ego on the walk to school, and I didn’t mind. Then you caught me on a bad day. My mind was … [Read more…]

At the tail end of my friendship with my middle school clique, I first experienced the downsides to social media and the impact it can have on our wellbeing and relationships. I was in 9th grade and was away for the weekend with my parents, after my friend’s mother declined my mother’s request for me … [Read more…]

There are several correlations I’ve found between my undergrad training as an actor, and my experiences now entering the social work field. But both careers rely heavily on a good self-care regimen. Both roles require the “player” to give and reveal so much of who they are, and absorb the emotions of others in a … [Read more…]

Having distance from my experiences with girl bullying and a stronger sense of who I am has allowed me to revisit these memories with clarity, rather than emotion. However, I’m reminded every day of the impact those girls had on how I view and approach relationships; I often feel desperate when making plans with friends … [Read more…]

I have always taken issue with the term “best friends” – this initially stemmed from the fact that I myself did not have a true best friend until the end of high school. But even after claiming the experience myself, I consider the implications and expectations of that expression to be ultimately detrimental to how … [Read more…]

At age 15, this storm brewing inside me is given a name: depression. Welcome to the world – my world that I’m now forced to share with you. But I’m too happy to be depressed? Life has been too good to me for me to just turn around and bury its gifts under a pile … [Read more…]

Growing up, I was a spunky, creative spirit, involved in music and dance for as long as I can remember. But in 8th grade, at the height of my bullied years, I pulled away. I started the school year and immediately decided not to return to jazz choir, nor audition for the musical. I didn’t … [Read more…]